• BMB Reports
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.377-383
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• 1998

Thioltransferase, also known as glutaredoxin, was purified from Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris ssp. napus var. pekinensis) by a combination of ion-exchange chromatography and gel filtration. Its purity was confirmed by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and its molecular weight was estimated to be about 12,000 which is comparable with those of most known thioltransferases. The enzyme utilizes 2-hydroxyethyl disulfide, S-sulfocysteine, ${\alpha}-chymotrypsin$, insulin, and trypsin as substrates in the presence of reduced glutathione. The enzyme has Km values of 0.03-0.97 mM for these substrates. It appeared to contain dehydroascorbate reductase activity. The pH optimum of the enzyme was 8.5, when 2-hydroxyethyl disulfide was used as a substrate. It was greatly activated by reduced glutathione. Its activity was not significantly lost when stored at high temperature, indicating its thermostable character. It may play an important role in thiol-disulfide exchange in plant cells.

• BMB Reports
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.31-36
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• 1998

Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL; EC 4.3.1.5), the first enzyme in the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, catalyzes the elimination reaction of ammonium ion from L-phenylalanine. PAL was purified from the cytosolic fraction of Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris ssp. napus var. pekinensis) through ammonium sulfate fractionation, DEAE-cellulose chromatography, Sephadex G-200 chromatography, and Q-Sepharose chromatography. It consists of four identical subunits, the molecular mass of which was estimated to be about 38,000 daltons on SDS-PAGE. The optimal pH and temperature of the purified enzyme are 8~9 and $45^{\circ}C$, respectively. Its activity is greatly inhibited by $Zn^{2+}$ ion, and strongly activated by caffeic acid. The purified PAL has some different characteristics compared to those obtained with other PALs.

• BMB Reports
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.133-139
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• 1999

Thioltransferase, also known as glutaredoxin, was previously purified and characterized from Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris ssp. napus var. pekinensis). However, in the process of gel filtration on Sephadex G-75, there were two activity peaks. In this study, a second thioltransferase (TTase CC-2) in the minor peak of the Sephadex G-75 elution profile was further purified using affinity chromatography on an S-hexylglutathione-agarose column by eluting with buffer solution containing 2.5 mM S-hexylglutathione. It showed a single band on SDS-PAGE indicating that TTase CC-2 is electrophoretically homogeneous. The molecular weight of TTase CC-2 was estimated to be about 22,000 daltons, and its isoelectric point was determined to be 6.73. Its size appears to be atypical and much larger than that of the first thioltransferase (TTase CC-1) from Chinese cabbage, and it can utilize 2-hydroxyethyl disulfide, S-sulfocysteine, and insulin as substrates. S-sulfocysteine was found to be a superior substrate for TTase CC-2. TTase CC-2 also displayed the reducing activity for non-disulfides such as dehydroascorbic acid. Its optimum pH was 8.5, which was consistent with that of TTase CC-1. TTase CC-2 activity was greatly activated by L-cysteine and reduced glutathione, and was found to be less heat-stable compared with TTase CC-1. Molecular and physiological differences between TTase CC-1 and TTase CC-2 remain to be elucidated. Chinese cabbage is the first plant which is known to contain two kinds of thioltransferases.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.15 no.6 s.73
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• pp.1034-1036
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• 2005

Chinese cabbage (Brassica campestris ssp. napus var. pekinensis Makino) seeds/seedlings were transformed via vacuum-infiltration with recombinant Agrobacterium tumefaciens LBA4404 cells. The agroinfiltration method was determined to be unsuccessful for Chinese cabbage transformation during the analysis of hepatitis B surface antigen expression by ELISA. However, treatment of sodium hypochlorite solution, prior to agroinfiltration, to pregerminated or germinating 1 day- or 2 days-old seeds was proven effectively to enhance transformation efficiency, suggesting that chemical wounding caused by sodium hypochlorite reaction might facilitate Agrobacterium infection and, therefore, transient gene expression in Chinese cabbage sprouts.